Wet Sanding Fixes Everything

I had hit reef a few times over the past several sessions.  It wasn't enough for me to feel like I needed to correct any of the damage, but this morning I did manage to find a high point on the seafloor and there was some "crunching" noises involved.

I went ahead and broke out the 220-320-400 wet/dry sandpaper and got the scratches and crunches out.

I'm close to getting a 68cm Project Cedrus mast that I ordered a while back.  That size when all set up should be at 72cm - compared to the 75cm (so 79cm) I have been using.  That drop in size should reduce the bottom strikes I've been getting.  Although I must say the extra riding height does make foiling even more thrilling...

Finished V2 Rear Stabilizers

I helped Noe get through a class paper yesterday - didn't get to sleep until after 12 (she kept going until 2am...).  I got home and looked for wind - it was marginal and I quickly hit the couch for a quick nap.  When I got up, I felt like I wanted to get a swim (prone foiling session) in at WPB... but in order to do that, I wanted to test out the newly thinned out bottom mount rear stabilizer.

I hit the garage and sanded the stabilizer through 40-80-120-180-220-320, then brought it inside to wet sand it through 320-400-500-1000-1500.

These last few that I've been reworking are super thin compared to what they were previously.  In the water, these thinner stabilizers have less drag, they hold/flex/release nicely in the turns, and they are just big enough to push against while pumping - perfect!!!

Evening Session - 12/2/2020

With an XL NW swell hitting the North Shore, Marlon and I thought there was going to be some wrap.  Alas, it was not to be.  In fact it seemed smaller than yesterday....

We brought the same equipment out.  

The crowd was even more manageable today.  I had some fun rides and my last one was super long - I rode the wave that picked me up from out by the two cabins break all the way to the single cottage, then pumped off the back and into the wave lined up behind the first.  I rode that until it started to break, pumped off that wave and into a third wave lined up behind the second.  I actually passed up the shower before I finally kicked out.

Fun times despite the smaller waves!

Evening Session - 10/8/2020

 This swell has been continuing to deliver energy - but it was starting to back off.  When Marlon and I did an evening run on Thursday, the takeoffs on the outside were still shoulder to head high - but the walls to follow weren't as energetic or as big as they were earlier in the week.

I brought out the same setup - skinny 4'10", GL140 and the No.2 rear stab.  With the chop in the water, I did pop the tail a few times and dropped off foil - but it still a great session.

Noe came out to take pictures, but the break is further out at WPB than it is at PTs, so these aren't the same as the previous ones that she took.

Rear Stabilizers

I've been working on setting this up for a while now - just needed some time.  And now with the surf flattening out, I'll have some.  I picked up a sheet of G10 and sliced it up into strips.  Each strip will yield three stabs.

Considering I've been changing the stabilizers out more than the front wings, this was almost inevitable. 

The first batch will be a 16", 15" and 14".  A diamond coated jigsaw blade works well to make the rough cuts.  I bought this sanding grit block to get the outline faired in.

Next steps will be using the belt sander to get the foil across the chord and from wing tip to wing tip.  Ever since Go Foil released the pedestal tail, I've seen lots of groups releasing 3rd party tails - I can't wait to try out my own!